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Friday, February 28, 2014

The Best advice I ever had come from
one of the greatest souls the world has ever known - Mahatma Gandhi. Most
people pass through a period of anguish when their belief in humanity is at a
low ebb. I was in such a period. My husband had recently died. My deep sorrow
over his loss was followed by the humiliating realization that in the eyes of
Indian Law I had no individual existence.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Many
regions of the world are inflicted by violence and strife. Peace loving people
all over the world, including leaders, are in search for a solution to these
problems. One name that emerges is that of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi is
more relevant than ever in the world today. Many peace-loving individuals and
organizations are trying to find ways of establishing peace in the world
through the teachings of Gandhiji. From several world leaders to common man,
have drawn inspiration from Gandhiji. The significance of Gandhiji’s teachings
of truth, non-violence, peace, brotherhood, equality, conflict resolution and
harmonious living are imperative in today’s world which is of full of
hatred, violence, exploitation and inequality.

In
this context, Gandhi Seva Kendra, at Hyderabad have put a step ahead to
propagate Gandhiji’s ideology in the form of a book centre on 2nd October, 2013
with the objective to promote Gandhian philosophy.

Here
we presents e news letter of Gandhi Seva Kendra, Hyderabad with additional
features and news on the activities of the Kendra.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Kasturba was born in Porbandar in April 1869,
a few months before Gandhiji and in the same town. Her father,Gokuldas Makanji,
was a merchant and a friend ofGandhiji'sfather, Karamchand or 'Kaba' Gandhi. Boththe parents
decided to knit their families closer together by marryingtheir two
children. At that time early marriagewas a common custom in Saurashtra, as in many
other parts of India. So, the betrothal of the two children, Mohandas and
Kasturbai, took place in their seventh year. The actual wedding, however, was
celebrated in 1882, when the two began to live together as husband and wife at
the early age of thirteen. Referring to his marriage Gandhijilater observed in
his Autobiography as follows-"I do not think it meant to me anything more
than the prospect of good clothes to wear, drum-beating, marriage processions,
richdinnersand a strange girl
to Play with..........Little did I dream thatone day I should severely criticize my father
for having married me as a child. Everything on that day seemed to me right and
proper and pleasing. There was also my own eagerness to get married".

India Economic, Business & Political Series)

with

Rajni Bakshi

Senior Gandhi Peace Fellow,

Gateway House

&

Ashni Biyani

Chief Ideator and Director,

Future Ideas

at

6:30 pm

On

Friday, 21 February, 2014

On

Google Hangout

A growing environmental crisis and the increasing inequality between the rich and the poor now constitute major risks to global economic and social stability. Societies around the world are struggling to address these issues. As the problems associated with these risks escalate, it is necessary to look at unconventional solutions. Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Trusteeship is one such approach that can provide the basis for a creative new solution.

The idea of Trusteeship is based on the premise that you are never really the “owner” of wealth, but rather its temporary holder, a benevolent custodian. Gandhi was confident that eventually Trusteeship would offer an alternative to both capitalism and socialism. How did Gandhi conceptualise Trusteeship? How does the idea go beyond philanthropy and corporate social responsibility? Can Trusteeship become the foundation for a renewed, non-violent, and creative society?

Discuss these topics at a Google Hangout with Rajni Bakshi, Senior Gandhi Peace Fellow, Gateway House, in conversation with Ashni Biyani, Chief Ideator and Director, Future Ideas, on “Gandhian Trusteeship and Non-violence: the Basis for a Creative Society” on February 21, 2014 at 6:30 PM IST.

The live discussion will be interactive with the online audience. We invite you to post your questions in advance or during the hangout using #GHTrusteeship on Twitter or on the Google+ event page.

Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations is a foreign policy think tank in Mumbai, India, established to engage India’s leading corporations and individuals in debate and scholarship on India’s foreign policy and the nation’s role in global affairs. Gateway House is independent, non-partisan and membership-based.

Rajni Bakshi

Senior Gandhi Peace Fellow,

Gateway House

Rajni Bakshi is the Gandhi Peace Fellow at Gateway House, Mumbai. She is the author of a Gateway House research paper (October 2012) titled Civilizational Gandhi. She is also the author of several books, including Bazaars, Conversations and Freedom: for a market culture beyond greed and fear (Penguin, 2009), which won two Vodafone-Crossword Awards. Her earlier book, Bapu Kuti: Journeys in Rediscovery of Gandhi (Penguin, 1998) inspired the Hindi film Swades. Her other books include Long Haul: the Bombay Textile Workers Strike 1982-83 (1986); A Warning and an Opportunity: the Dispute over Swami Vivekananda’s Legacy (1994); Lets Make it Happen: a backgrounder on New Economics (2003); and An Economics for Well-Being (2007). Rajni has a BA from George Washington University, U.S, and an MA from the University of Rajasthan. She serves on the Boards of Child Rights and You (CRY) and Citizens for Peace. She is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, an autonomous body under the Indian Ministry of Culture, and a long-term associate of the Centre for Education and Documentation (Mumbai and Bangalore).

Ashni Biyani

Chief Ideator and Director,

Future Ideas

Ashni Biyani is associated with Future Group, a business house in India that operates retail chains such as Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Central and Home Town. She is the Director of Future Ideas, a consultancy for strategic thought for business and society. She leads a team that maps the behavioral shifts of consumers and communities. She has also led the conceptualisation and launch of a number of the group’s retail formats. Ashni’s team is currently working on an assessment study for the Ministry of Social Welfare and Empowerment. Ashni graduated as a textile designer from the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. She has attended courses on scenario planning at New York’s Parsons School of Design, and the Summer Institute of General Management at Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, U.S.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The values Gokhale embodied could have new relevance in today’s India

Gopal Krishna Gokhale is now a forgotten man even though both M.K. Gandhi and M.A. Jinnah were inspired by him in the years before they became mass leaders. Gandhi described Gokhale as his political guru while Jinnah aspired to be the Muslim Gokhale.

However, the importance of Gokhale goes far beyond his influence on these two star disciples, who continue to be worshipped as the fathers of their respective nations. He was the lodestar of a style of liberal politics that needs a fresh airing in contemporary India.

Gokhale died on 19 February 1915, so today marks the beginning of his death centenary.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The modern state, whatever be its nature and type, has
come to stay. It has become an extremely powerful engine to steer the so-called
traditional society on the path of development following the framework of
western modernization. It is positively related to the development and
multiplication of resources for the 'benefit of its people' but negatively
related to the tribes

Saturday, February 8, 2014

The
WORLD TODAY is dominated by greed and competition, speed and restlessness,
pollution, poverty and starvation, exploitation, ecological destruction, war
and violence. The standard of living of the people has risen with multiple
amenities for a comfortable living. But despite extra ordinary progress in the
fields of science & technology, there are ample signs of a sick human
society. As a result of the degradation of man, culture and society many
serious problems have arisen. If democracy is to survive and if science has to
be utilized for maintaining the stability of society, if peace and security of
the people is to be ensured we have to work hard and steady.

A
healthy and harmonized society can exist only when its members imbibe some
moral and ethical values. Only such values can ensure mutual aid and
co-operation. Only when the people internalize ethical and moral values in
their lives and actually practice them in their day-to-day lives they can build
a healthy and progressive human society. In order to attain this we have to
bring about certain changes in human nature and attitudes. For the
reconstruction of society, its social, economic, political and religious
institutions, value systems and tradition which breed violence should be
removed and replaced by new ones. As stated by Dr. Sampooran Singh, “we are
often caught in an acquisitive culture which consists of ambition, comparing,
competing and acquiring. This is called psychological aggressiveness. This is
actually a subtle violence which has led to making the whole human race in to a
civilized violent community. Violence benumbs the sensitivity and this makes
our understanding of life poorer. No wonder, man has emerged as a violent
species. Mahatma Gandhi foresaw this situation and one of his major intentions
while he wrote 'Hind Swaraj' was to teach the Indians that 'modern western
civilization' with the above said consequences posed a greater threat to them
and to humanity than did colonialism. He said that "I would ask you to
read Hind Swaraj with my eyes.... and see therein the chapter on how to make
India non-violent. You cannot build non-violence on a factory civilization..."

Friday, February 7, 2014

Mahatma Gandhi's Last hundred Days and the
Kashmir Crisis: The Making of a Dispute

By Suryakant Nath

Abstract

India and Pakistan have battled over the territory of
Kashmir for over sixty years. The two nuclear-armed states have not only fought
three bloody wars in the region but have also been fighting shadow wars for
quite some time. Of late, Kashmir has been one of the contemporary world’s most
troubled and dangerous places, even a ‘nuclear flash point’ in what India calls
‘terrorist insurgency’ and Pakistan ‘a freedom movement’. Today there is a
flood of literature on Kashmir. However, even though we frequently read about
Pt Nehru or Sardar Patel’s views on the subject, very little is said about the
kind of views that Mahatma Gandhi held towards the Kashmir issue and the role
which he played with regard to the Kashmir issue during the last few months of
his life. This paper attempts to study Gandhi’s views on the then
newly-emerging Kashmir dispute which in later years would eventually culminate
into a nuclear flash point in contemporary history and continue to remain one
of the most vulnerable areas in the world. It would be purely speculative to
hazard a guess if Gandhian methods could have been successful in diffusing the
crisis in Kashmir.

Record-breaking sale of 13,800 Gandhian Books worth Rs. 5.52 lakhs within six days

In the present world, full of modern technologies like i-phones, tabs and e-books, it is difficult to believe that many people still interested in buying Gandhi books. But a week-long exhibition-cum-sale of Gandhi Books proves that Gandhiji's teachings are relevant than ever.

About 13,800 Gandhi-Vinoba-Sarvodaya books (in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati) worth about Rs. 5.52 lakhs were sold within six days at the books exhibition organized by Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal and Gandhi Book Centre with the financial assistance from 'Babulnath Mandir Charities' and 'Mahalaxmi Mandir' from 27th January to 1st February to commemorate 66th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

For the first time,
Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi's own story of his life is to be
available in China.

The
Story of My Experiments With Truth, which has sold more
than 200,000 copies in India alone and has been translated in to some 35
languages, will now be translated in Mandarin to cater to what Chinese scholars
say is the "growing interest" in the leader in their country.

Five volumes of Gandhi's
selected works containing his writings on satyagraha [people's movement],
religion, politics and speeches, will also be translated into Mandarin.

"Gandhi's works have
largely not been available in Russia and China so far. We are really excited
with the growing interest about his writings in China," said Vivek Desai
of the Ahmadabad-based Navajivan Trust, the 84-year-old publishing house
founded by Gandhi which has published more than 300 volumes of the leader's
works.